Lessons I Learnt During COVID-19 Pandemic George Thomas, Copenhagen* The COVID-19 Pandemic is wreaking havoc across our world. It is an uncertain time. And yet for all the pain, the Bible teaches that for Christians, these trials are not wasted or meaningless. God is at work through it all, teaching us things that we might not otherwise learn (Romans 8:28, Hebrews 12:5-11).
human control. Only Jesus is our steadfast companion – carrying us in his arms when we cannot walk alone. What a friend we have in Jesus! “Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come” (Luke 10:1). 4. Our sense of security or safety is a myth. I used to feel reasonably “safe and insulated” from public health-related disasters or catastrophes in a modern, advanced country like Denmark. Similarly, I have not been overly concerned about my financial security as a retired senior person. Suddenly I have been watching how some of my basic assumptions are getting overturned. Thus, I have come to discern: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” Psalm 127:1).
During this Pandemic it is easy to see bad things happening all around us. However, with a biblical view on the present circumstances it may become clearer that what God could be doing during this time of taking things away is actually giving us something wonderful and eternal in return. Here are the eight things that I have been learning during this time: 1. Time has one direction–forward. We cannot get anything back from yesterday. Appreciate today while we have it and what we have in it. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This should teach us a great deal about the precious value of time. Putting off a reconciling conversation until later, praying for some dear person, writing few words of encouragement to a distressed or burdened friend, or helping a needy person today, are all choices we could make right now. When that golden opportunity is gone, it is gone! 2. Jesus is our only dependable companion on this earthly journey. I started realizing that even our nearest and dearest ones cannot be with us 3. or holding our hands in our final hours or times of distress under certain circumstances beyond
5. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. I have been living my life as if I will have a longer future on this earth. I think about next week, next month, and next year like they are guaranteed dates on my calendar. This Pandemic has emphatically taught me to ponder over our own mortality with better clarity – especially not to say: “Today or tomorrow we will do this…” (James 4:13). It heightens our “death-awareness”. Yes, it’s a confronting thought. But if we combine this death-awareness with the Gospel of the Risen Christ who has overcome death, we can become more captivated by the resurrected life to come. “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23). 6. Redeeming today requires an unfamiliar pace of life. I am convinced that we are just too busy. There are too many options to stay busy, and we have learned a pace of life that devalues the things that matter most. I can hear the words of Jesus to Martha: “You are worried and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). We need to choose the things that cannot be taken from us and those things require a slower pace and more time than they generally get.
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